# Star Fortress

> Arcade space shooter homage to a classic, featuring ring destruction and enemy evasion. (iPhone/iPad app by Sean Barenz.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/star-fortress/id338442127 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Sean Barenz](https://appshunter.io/developer/332168767)
- Category: Games, Action, Casual
- Price: $0.99
- Rating: 4.40/5 from 14 App Store ratings · 30 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 9+
- Requires: iOS 13.0 · 5 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2009-11-12
- Data updated: 2026-08-07
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/star-fortress/id338442127/reviews.md

## What is Star Fortress?

Star Fortress is a colorful, faster paced homage to a 1980's classic that pits you against the Star Lord and his Star Fortress.  The objective is to destroy the Star Lord that sits in the center of three spinning rings before he becomes fully mobile and gives chase.  

You will need to blast away at the rings surrounding the Star Lord in order to create the opening needed to destroy him.   During all this the Star Lord will constantly track you, and firing as soon as there is an opening available to it.  If you manage to destroy the Star Lord, you will earn 5000 points plus a bonus for the number of ring segments remaining on the screen and time elapsed.  

There are three sparks that will harass you throughout the level and will destroy you on contact.  You can destroy the sparks with your own bullets but the sparks are not worth any points.

As stated before, you must destroy the Star Lord before he becomes mobile.  An audible and visual alert is triggered about 10 seconds before the Star Lord becomes mobile.  Once mobile, your bullets will no longer destroy it nor the fortress rings and your only choice is to escape.  If you are destroyed while trying to escape, the level ends and you move on to the next level.  

To control the game, position your thumbs over the controller overlay at the bottom of the screen.   You can rotate your ship left and right with the left thumb.  You control your thrusters and fire control with your right thumb.  If you happen to run into the Star Fortress, your ship will bounce harmlessly (unless there's a spark attached to that particular ring segment).  While your ship is fading in, you are free to move and are invulnerable for a few seconds.

Before the start of each game, you're free to select the level of your choosing.  Veteran players need not be forced to start from the first level.  Star Fortress has unlimited levels much like the original that inspired it.  Unlike the original, the Star Lord has a few extra tricks up his sleeve as you advance through the levels.

Score Table:
Wall Segment - 33 points
Star Lord - 5000 points + time and ring segment bonus
Escape - 5000 points (no time nor ring segment bonus)

Extra Ships at 5000, 15000, 25000, 50000, and every 50000 thereafter

Tips:
-Stay moving.  Remaining stationary can quickly become deadly once there's an opening in the fortress.  It will also keep you ahead of the sparks
-Shoot the Star Lord quickly for better time bonuses.  These bonuses can make the difference on earning that next extra ship
-Shooting out all the segments for a ring will cause a new ring to be regenerated from the center

## Key features

- Destroy spinning fortress rings
- Defeat the Star Lord
- Evade chasing sparks
- Unlimited, selectable levels
- Score bonuses for time and remaining rings
- Dual-thumb mobile controls

## Chart rankings

- #188 in Top Paid · Casual (US App Store)

## Recent user reviews (10 of 30)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/star-fortress/id338442127/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Awesome Game

*2025-03-16, version 1.5*

This is an awesome game and well done port. Don’t know why there aren’t more reviews!!

### 5/5 — Star castle

*2024-03-29, version 1.5*

So good

### 5/5 — Fantastic adaptation

*2022-08-01, version 1.5*

Great adaption of the original. Agree with other comments about better game control. I would love to see this game work with an external game controller. It looks like the developer has moved onto work for Amazon so I’m not sure if he’s still updating these games. I hope he keeps at it and comes up with a few more.

### 5/5 — Awesome Game!

*2022-07-15, version 1.5*

Star Castle was my game when I was a kid! They nailed it with this one! So happy I found it!

### 4/5 — Could have been fun

*2021-01-09, version 1.5*

Controls are very tough. The ship turns too fast. It might be better to have the ship circle on an orbit and have the turret always face the target.

### 5/5 — Thanks for keeping this up to date!

*2019-11-27, version 1.5*

I love retro-styled vector games on iPhone. This one was one of the first, based on a truly classic arcade game, and the inspiration for Yars' Revenge. Awesome.

### 5/5 — Great game

*2018-10-21, version 1.4*

I have loved this game for 38 years. This is a great recreation. One request: please add keyboard control. This game plays well on the iPad, but needs a keyboard for fine control.

### 4/5 — Great game but was better

*2018-01-13, version 1.4*

Great app. I loved the arcade game it’s based on. I’ve been playing this for several years on my phone, But I am disappointed with the recent update. Wish I hadn’t updated. New version scales down the Fortress and the fighter ship. This gives more space but on small devices the size of fighter and fortress seem too small, also the controls are now more sensitive in a negative way.

### 5/5 — Old Fun

*2017-08-31, version 1.4*

I love this "blast" from the past. This was a favorite game from my teenage years! Thanks for the update!

### 5/5 — Star Castle lives on!

*2017-08-24, version 1.3*

Great homage to an arcade classic. Plays even better than the SC game on the Vectrex app.

## Frequently asked questions about Star Fortress

### What is Star Fortress?

Star Fortress is a colorful, fast-paced arcade shooter game that pays homage to a classic 1980s title. Players must destroy the rings surrounding a central enemy, the Star Lord, before it becomes mobile and chases them.

### How do I play Star Fortress?

You control your ship using a controller overlay at the bottom of the screen. Use your left thumb to rotate your ship and your right thumb to control thrusters and firing. The goal is to blast away at the rings to create an opening to destroy the Star Lord.

### Is Star Fortress free to play?

Yes, Star Fortress is a free game. It does not feature in-app purchases or advertisements, allowing for an uninterrupted classic gaming experience.

### What happens if the Star Lord becomes mobile?

If you fail to destroy the Star Lord before it becomes mobile, your bullets will no longer be effective against it or the fortress rings. At this point, your only option is to escape. If you are destroyed while trying to escape, the level ends.

### Can I choose my starting level?

Yes, before starting each game, you are free to select the level of your choosing. This allows veteran players to bypass earlier levels and jump into more challenging gameplay, similar to the original game's design.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.5 — 2019-11-26

- Updated for iOS 13
- Fixed the controls to be much more forgiving
- Repositioned the controls closer to the corners
- Game balance tweaks

### 1.4 — 2017-08-31

- Updated for 64 bit
- Some graphical enhancements
- Balancing tweaks

### 1.3 — 2012-03-08

-Rewrite of the underlying graphics.  Fonts in particular will look smoother.  
-Retina display support
-Enemy bullets are smarter

### 1.2.1 — 2011-01-10

-Fixed a formatting issue that would come up when using next/previous buttons on the global leaderboards

### 1.2 — 2010-11-24

+Added Game Center Global Leaderboard Support (iOS 4.1 or greater on the iPhone 3GS or newer devices) 

+Set the minimum iOS version to 3.0. (Star Fortress will continue to function, but without the Game Center support) 

-Should be much clearer how to resume the game from pause 

-Cleaned up some technical debt in the codebase to make further updates easier 

FAQ: 
Q:I see a popup asking for credentials in game. Are you stealing my ID and password? 
A:The popup is generated by Game Center. I will never see any of your information. 
Q:What if I'm uncomfortable logging into Game Center in-game. 
A:You can suspend the app, and login through the Game Center widget. You can then go back into the game and tap "Login to Gamecenter". You will authenticate automatically 
Q:Can I continue to play Star Fortress without Game Center 
A:Absolutely. Game Center is completely optional.

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## More apps by Sean Barenz

- [War of Infinity: Arena](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/war-of-infinity-arena/id377785540)
- [Star Frenzy](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/star-frenzy/id483978582)

All apps by Sean Barenz: https://appshunter.io/developer/332168767

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-07.*